Shoe-shank machine



g UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. EowLER, 'or NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SHOE-SHANK MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 402,431, dated April 30, 1889.

Application tiled September 26, 1888. Senal No. 286,445. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. FowLER, of Newton, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Making Shanks for Boots or Shoes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the drawings accompanying and forming a part hereof, in which.-

Figure l is a side elevation showing my improvement, the lower part of `the standard of the machine being broken away. Fig. 2 is a front view of the cams which guide the knives. Fig. 3 is a rear view of the knives and their blocks, showingl the studs and trucks whichA are received in the cam-slots. Y

My present invention is an improvement on the machine Shown and described in'an application for Letters Patent therefor pending in the United States Patent Office, filed by Watson N. Sprague and myself` as joint inventors on the 29th day of May, 1888, Serial No. 275,460. It is desirable that Shanks of one size and lot should be uniform in width, particularly on the top or upper surface, which is not beveled. The machine shown in the Said application is provided with beveled knives suspended from pivots, the bevels on t lsaid knives operating whenthe knives are forced downward through the material to spread the knives and thus bevel the sides of the shank. By this arrangement Shanks of one width on the beveled side are produced; but the width of the opposite side or top proper of the shank will vary with the thickness of the stock. The stock usually employed is not uniform in thickness, and thus an undesirable result is often obtained. To obviate this difficulty and obtain Shanks uniform in width onthe top, regardless of the thickness of the stock from which they are out, is the chief object of my improvement, which consists in the combination and arrangement, with the suspended knives, of campresses of various kinds; B, a driving-pulley fast on the main shaft, which is journaled in the frame and provided at its opposite end with an eccentric, by means of which the slide D is vertically reciprocated. To the slide D the head which carries the knives is secured by means of shank E, clamped to the said slide, as shown at a3. The head consists of a piece, a., of the shape shown, which receives thev lower end of the shank E, and is fast thereto by means of Set-screw b. An annular projection, d, on the shank E receives the pressure as the knives are forced downward through the material from which the shank is cut. At either end of the piece a are secured end pieces through which, as also through said piece a, a shaft or rod, f, passes, on which the knife-blocks are hung. (See Fig. 3.) The knife-blocks are constructed in two parts to admit of adjustment. Y The upper parts, g, of the knife-blocks are provided with lugs h, through which the shaft f passes. The lower parts, 7c, of the knife-blocks are secured by bolts j to the upper parts, g, and the knives are secured to the lower parts, 7o, by bolts, or in other convenient manner. The line of the cutting-edge of each knife corresponds to the shape of one side of a shank. Thus far the device is the same substantially as is shown and described in the said pending application above referred to. The means of adjusting the knives for shanks of ditferent shapes and sizes is also the same as is described in said application, but is not essential to my present invention.

My present improvement, which I will now describe, may be applied, as will be obvious, to any form of machine employing suspended knives for the purpose of cutting shanks or similar objects having beveled sides.

In the rear of the knives I affix to the standard of the machine or other rigid support a block, a, which may be of the shape shown, Fig. l. The block o. serves to support the cani-plate b', which is provided with flanges d at the top and sides for the reception of set and adjusting screws f', which serve to secure it to the block a and to adjust it vertically relatively thereto. The slots g in the sides of the cam-plate admit of its vertical adjustment. In the face of this cam-plate b are cut two cam-slots, h', (see Fig. 2,) which lie IOO directly behind the knife-blocks, and each of which receives al stud, k', set in each knifeblock, each stud being provided with a truck, m', arranged to travel in the cam-path. As the knife-blocks move down in cutting a shank, they move parallel with each other until the trucks are thrown outwardly by the outward turns in the cam-slots, at which time the knives are spread and the edges of the shank are cut on a bevel. By this means Shanks are produced of uniform width on top-that is, on the under side as they lie on the bed K of the machine. To make shanks of less width, the cam-plate ZJ requires to be lowered, while if it is raised wider shanks will be eut.

As the bevel of the knife-edges is not relied upon to bevel the edge of the sha-nk, the knives need not have suoli a wide bevel, but may be ground ou both sides to thin them down and render them easier to sharpen. The edge, although thinner, should, however, be beveled at the cutting-point in order that the knives as they spread may make a smooth and clean cut.

The cam-plate b may. be cut vertically to forni two cam-plates eaeh bearing a cam-slot. In this way the cam-slots h could be independently adj usted, which mi ght be desirable.

Vhat I claim is- In 'a shank-machine, the combination, with the reciprocating piece or head a, of the knifecarrying blocks pivoted thereto and provided with studs 7c', and the cam-plate b', having the cam-slots 7L', into which the said studs extend, substantially as set forth.

WILLIAM H. FOWLER.

Witnesses:

WM. A. MACLEOD, ROBERT WALLACE. 

